The Honor
by SteffieMusings
Summary: Sylvia discovered that Star nomads from all across the galaxy have gathered together to mourn for the loss of their planet and their king. Could that be the reason why Wander had been down in the dumps, or was there something more to it?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone to my Wander over Yonder fan-fic. This story is based on my King Wander AU.

Wander over Yonder characters belong to Craig McCracken  
Story, character(s) belongs to me, Steffie

The Honor

 _"Your Majesty, five minutes before the asteroid will collide into our planet! What should we do?" a brown star nomad panicked. His fancy military uniform was wrinkled and his fur stood on end as he hoped the king knew what to do._  
 _"I-I-" the king stuttered. His orange fur stood on end. Thanks to his soft-blue officer uniform, soft-blue pants, white shoes and white cape that covered his body, his fur didn't appear to be frizzled at all. He fiddled with his yellow star brooch as he tried to stay calm. He left his crown on the throne. He didn't deserve to be their king. After what he did, he didn't..._  
 _"Majesty?" a guard shrieked in fear._  
 _"I-I-" the king stuttered as he subconsciously pulled a few strands of orange fur out as he tried to find an outlet for his stress. What to do, what to do?_  
 _"Your Majesty?!" his royal advisor hollered._  
 _"It's about to crash, Your Majesty?! Help us!" panicked screams and shouts filled his ears. He tried his best to concentrate, but he was felt so nervous. So guilty. Oh, why did he turn their only chance of survival down?_  
 _"Majesty?!"_

 _Seconds later, the asteroid collided into the planet. There was a loud bang. Within seconds, the planet was no more. Just silence and debris._

Wander shook his head, trying his best to wipe that thought out of his head. No, that was a memory he wished he could forget. He sat down in the orbble. He tucked his knees under his chin as he became lost in thought once more.

Wander and Sylvia's orbble floated towards a planet as the zbornak wore a concerned expression on her features when she realized her friend looked quite glum. Her frown deepened when the star nomad sat down with his knees tucked under his chin, deep in thought.

"Are you feeling okay, Wander?" Sylvia nudged.  
"Uh? Oh...yep, I am fine, Syl. Don't ya worry about this fella." her companion replied in a defeated tone. He wore a forced smile across his face.  
"Are you sure? You've been quite quiet lately. Was it something you ate?"  
"I am fine. Just thinking about things." Wander shrugged.

Sylvia's frown deepened. She couldn't help but feel that Wander wasn't telling her the truth, for some reason. She was about to pry further when something suddenly zipped passed their orbble.

"What was that?" Wander pondered out loud. He and his traveling companion scanned the area. Were they being attacked?  
"Hey, that was an orrble. How did they go so flarpin' fast?" Sylvia wondered out loud. She squinted to try and make out who could be in an orbble.

While she was trying to make the figure out, she suddenly noticed several more orbbles arriving. Some came from behind them, some came from underneath, some came from above. Well, it was safe to say that they came from all corners of the galaxy. The ones that were further up ahead landed on the planet Sylvia and Wander were heading. The zbornak took a double take when she noticed something.

"Wander, did you noticed what all those orbbles have in common?"  
"Hmm?" Wander looked up at Sylvia, then he squinted at the orbble that floated above their heads. His eyes widened when he noticed the features of one of the occupants. His heart skipped a beat. Could they be?

"They're star nomads. I've never seen so many..." Sylvia whispered in awe. Star nomads of all ages, colour and sizes were all traveling in the orbbles. Well, there were some in small spaceships or some other mode of transport, but most were in orbbles. There were those that were with a traveling partner of another race. There were those that traveled with their romantic partner or family.  
"A cluster of star nomads that are all going to visit Planet Nebula." Wander whispered, tears in his eyes as their orbble softly floated down onto the planet.

Sylvia hoped she could finally find out what made her friend so unhappy.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone to my Wander over Yonder fan-fic. This story is based on my King Wander AU.

Wander over Yonder characters belong to Craig McCracken  
Story, character(s) belongs to me, Steffie

Sylvia and Wander were casually strolling through the small town, careful enough to make sure they didn't bump into anyone. As they passed the park to get to the nearest place to get food, the zbornak noticed that besides the giant stone statue of a star nomad (judging by the crown on the head, they were royalty) that was in the middle of the park, the park had been decorated with banners that had something written in a language she didn't understand. She noticed there were also orange and blue bouquets that were at the foot of the statue.

"Hey Wander, who is that?" Sylvia pondered out loud. No reply. She turned her head to glance at her friend. She frowned when she realized Wander still wore the sad expression he wore when they were traveling to Planet Nebula. The zbornak tapped her companion's shoulder a couple of times. The orange star nomad whipped his head up to face Sylvia, confusion spread across his face.

"Hey buddy, are you okay?"  
"I'm fine. Just thinking."  
"If ya say so, buddy..."  
"What were ya askin', Syl?"  
"I was asking about the statue. Who is that?"  
"Oh. That is-" before Wander could finish his sentence, a yellow star nomad walked up towards them. He wore a black top-hat, black vest, green bow-tie, black dress shoes with spats. Since he was of average height and a bit pudgy in the middle, his black moustache and yellow fur was the distinctive features, besides his infamous deeds.

"Howdy, Li'l Wan! Fancy meetin' ya here." the yellow star nomad grinned from ear to ear. He held his hand out for Wander to shake. Sylvia's eyes darted from Wander to this strange fellow. She became more alert when a grey star nomad approached the yellow one from behind. The grey star nomad had her blonde hair in a bob hairdo. She wore a blue polo-neck that had a white stripe in the middle. She wore black pants and brown boots that had darker brown toes and sole. She didn't appear to be a fighter, but she knew from experience that looks can be deceiving.

"Howdy, Mr. Slick. Didn't expect to see ya here. This is Sylvia, my traveling partner. Sylvia, this is Mr. Slick. He's a salesman." Wander shook the offered hand, yet his confusion was etched on his face. The grey star nomad decided to speak up.  
"Hello there. It's a pleasure to meet you."  
"Howdy, ma'am. Say Mr. Slick, who is this?"  
"Li'l Wan, Tough Miss, this is Dr. Alma. She's my traveling partner, doctor and my wife."  
"Wow, you're married? That's great. Are ya two on honeymoon, then?"

Dr. Alma frowned at Mr. Slick before she cleared her throat. Mr. Slick grinned sheepishly at her in response.  
"Actually, we are here for the ...hm...event. You did receive that message every star nomad received, right?"  
"Well..." Wander avoided her gaze. Sylvia raised her brow when she noticed her friend's reaction.  
"You don't have a way to keep contact with your fellow star nomads?"  
"...No..." the orange star nomad suddenly found his shoes the most fascinating shoes in the entire world.  
"But, everyone was able to keep contact with everyone after the...you know. How come you're the only one that didn't?" the grey star nomad wondered out loud to herself.

Noticing how uncomfortable her friend appeared to be, Sylvia decided to help.  
"Who knows. Hey Wander, let's go and get some jellyfish pie."  
"Oh, yeah. Hate to cut this short, but we gotta go. Seeya." Wander waved them goodbye. The couple waved them goodbye, not finding anything odd at all.

After a couple more minutes of strolling, they finally found a deli/ bakery. It was a small shop that had its name "Sweet Upper Crest" written on the window from the inside.

"Welcome to Sweet Upper Crust." a low, feminine voice spoke the moment Sylvia and Wander entered the shop. Behind the counter stood a star nomad. Her fur was amaranth pink while her waist-length plaited hair was an Amaranth deep purple. She wore a Fuschia knee-length long-sleeve dress and a white apron. Although Sylvia couldn't see it, she wore antique ruby slip-on sneakers.

An expression of recognition appeared across Wander's face before he stood behind the counter, Syliva behind him to check out the menu and specials that was scribbled on the blackboard behind the counter. If Sylvia noticed it, she didn't mention it at all.  
"Howdy, ma'am." Wander grinned at the pink nomad happily, almost as she was a good friend of his.  
"Hello, there.", the lady responded, not phased. She had a double-take, "Say, if you don't mind me asking, do I know you from somewhere?"

To Sylvia's surprise, Wander's entire body went rigid for a moment.  
"Sorry Ma'am, I guess I simply look like someone you know."  
"Hmm. Well, you do look remarkably similar to him...oh well. Would you like to try today's specials? They're the Blorpberry pie, the Blopberry Swirl coconut milk ice-cream, Blorpberry waffles and the Blorpberry muffins."  
"Wow, they're my favourites! I'll like all of them, please." Wander bubbled happily. The lady blinked in surprise.  
"Wow, you even have the same tastes as him."  
"Say, do you have any jellyfish pie?" Sylvia's mouth watered as she imagined sinking her teeth into a slice.  
"Oh yes, we do. We also have different flavours of ice-cream, hoagies, biscuits, scones, doughnuts and other pie flavours."  
"Great. I'll have the jellyfish pie."  
"Interesting choice. Please wait a moment while I get your order ready. Please have a seat at the tables."

While Wander strolled to their table, Sylvia decided that it was the perfect time to get some questions answered. She cleared her throat to get the pink star nomad's attention. As soon as she was close enough, she whispered in the lady's ear.  
"Say, do you know why there's decorations in the park? Is today a holiday?"  
"Well, it is an anniversary of a tremendous event that happened years ago."  
"Oh?"  
"Today is the anniversary of the day our planet was destroyed by an asteroid."  
"Your planet was destroyed?" Sylvia echoed the words. Wait, could that be the reason why Wander was so down? It made sense...

"It also marks the anniversary of our king's death. We call today The Honor, in honor of our king's sacrifice to save us."

To be concluded...


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone to my Wander over Yonder fan-fic. This story is based on my King Wander AU.

Wander over Yonder characters belong to Craig McCracken  
Story, character(s) belongs to me, Steffie

After they were done eating, Sylvia and Wander decided to go to the park. As they arrived, they noticed the park was packed with the cluster of star nomads and their traveling companions. There were a couple locals, but they didn't want to intrude. The star nomads stood around the statue, holding hands and singing. Wander started to tear up.

"It's been so long since I heard our folk songs." the orange star nomad sniffed as he wiped a tear from his eye. After a couple deep breaths, he grabbed hold of Sylvia's hand and dragged her into the crowd. He poured his entire being into his singing as he joined in. He vision blurred several times as he gazed the cluster of star nomads. He had never seen so many star nomads in one place since their planet had been destroyed.

After an hour of singing, the same pink star nomad from the bakery stood in front of the statue, microphone in hand.  
"Hello, everyone. Thank you all for coming for the honor of our late king. I know it was a short notice. I would also like to thank the locals for allowing me to do this. They even helped me to decorate, you know. They did so much for me. They welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to open my shop. I owe them so much. As I am standing here, I would like to share my story how His Majesty touched my life."

The pink star nomad swallowed the lump that was in her throat before she continued.  
"As many of you know...I, Estella, was the pastry chef for the king. He had a wonderful, kind and caring personality. In fact, when he figured I was romantically interested in his bodyguard, he arranged for us to be working together so that we get to know one another. We became so close afterwards that I realized I found my soulmate. It broke my heart when we got separated in the explosion. But, my hope that we'll be reunited one day helped me. Bianca, I hope you are here now. Thank you, everyone."

While the pink star nomad handed the microphone to someone else in the crowd, several star nomads glanced at Wander the moment they noticed him. They started to murmer amongst themselves.  
"Wait, could that be the ghost of His Majesty?" one of the elder star nomads shouted out loud as he pointed at Wander's direction. The star nomads agreed at the suggestion. While Sylvia smothered her desire to roll her eyes, her traveling companion started to sweat profusely. He subconsciously pulled a few strands of hair.  
"Me, His Majesty? Aw shucks. The folks call me Wander, not His Majesty. Guess I am just some fella that just has a striking resemblance to our king." the orange star nomad scoffed at the suggestion.

Without warning the sky was blanketed with darkness as a giant Gavel spaceship hovered above the park, the handle part close to the ground. As many members of the crowd panicked, others stood their ground, ready to confront the intruder.  
"Whoever this is, they will be sorry to meet these ladies." Sylvia grinned as she held her fists up for Wander to see.

As the door opened from the handle part of the Gavel spaceship, gigantic ferocious-looking guards stood in front of a shorter being. The shorter being was a grey squid-like being that had a pink mantle. Their eyes were blue with squid-like pupils. With a small flick of their arm-like tentacle, they allowed them and their bodyguards to float down to the crowd below.

As soon as their feet touched grass, the squid-like being gestured that one of the guards must speak.  
"Greeting, everyone. Do not worry, we are not here to conquer the planet. Our fair and honorable Judge Farsalot had sensed extreme guilt radiating from someone on this planet. If they want to be rid of the guilt, they must come forward."

Sylvia stomped in anger as she approached the guard. As soon as her snout touched the guard's chest, she began her rant.  
"Look buddy, I think you've got the wrong planet. These people here are just here to honor their fallen king. They might feel guilty for not being able to save their king, but that doesn't mean they have to be on trial for it."  
"I'm sorry miss, but Judge Farsalot sensed extreme guilt from someone that felt that they need to be punished for what they have done."  
"Don't tell me, you'll punish them for feeling guilty about forgetting somebody's birthday?"  
"Why yes, that is correct. Judge Farsalot's reputation far exceeds expectations. But, we are not here for the average citizen. The guilt Judge Farsalot felt is is a special kind of guilt: the guilt of a leader that had failed their people in some way. Someone that had thrown everything of their past life away to start over and make amends."

Confused murmurs filled the air.  
"If this fella's a star nomad, you are sadly mistaken. The only ruler we had was a young king, but he died when the planet blew up." Mr. Slick piped up, receiving a few cheers and agreements.  
"Ah, but that's where you were wrong. You see, your precious king is standing amongst you."

The cluster of star nomads were not impressed at all. They were furious at the guard's accusations. Wander felt his heart race inside his ribcage, his guilt piling up.  
"Come out, Your Majesty, or someone will take your place. Or, maybe we'll simply punish everyone in your place?"  
"He isn't here. Besides, we will gladly do anything in his place. He died while he made sure everyone got off the planet before it was destroyed." Estella spoke in a soft, yet firm tone.  
"Fine, you will all take his place." the guard shouted on top of his voice while Judge Farsalot's pupils swirled like a lava-lamp, ready to strike.

"STOP!" Wander shouted on top of his lungs as he ran towards the guards, his arms flailing. His fur was frizzled and his eyes were red from tears. To everyone's surprise, he collapsed onto his hands and knees to beg.  
"Wander? Buddy, what are you doing?"  
"Don't punish them for my cowardliness. Take me. I deserve to pay for my guilt, not them."  
"...It's you. You are the one with the heavy burden."

"WHAT?!" Sylvia shouted, her mind racing. The cluster of star nomads were silent. They were confused. That didn't make sense. Wander couldn't be...  
"Wander, what do you mean?" Sylvia whispered in Wander's ear. Instead of whispering back, Wander pulled a megaphone from his hat to shout his admission to the crowd.  
"I am the one that deserves to be punished. I failed everyone. I had a choice, but I blew it. Ever since my biggest mistake, I tried to make up for it by helping everyone in need. But, nothing could ever lessen the guilt I am feeling. I am horrible and selfish. I am a bad person. I can't take it anymore. Please, punish me for my crimes."

"Wander..." Sylvia wanted to comfort her buddy, but he pushed her away as he rose to his feet. With his head held high, he placed his hand on his chest.

"I shall temporary reclaim my title as King of the Star Nomads so that I shall pay for my crimes."

The End

To be continued in The Guilt


End file.
